Row on the plane and over a Borussia Dortmund shirt: former FC Schalke 04 problem child dares a fresh start
Rabbi Matondo was once considered a great hope for Schalke 04, but then made headlines mainly away from the pitch. Will the 26-year-old find his feet at Hibernian Edinburgh?
Rabbi Matondo had been without a club for around six weeks after leaving Norwegian top-flight side SK Brann Bergen, but he has now found a new one. The 26-year-old winger from Wales has signed with Hibernian Edinburgh until next summer, the club announced on Thursday. Hibs are currently 10th in the 12-team Scottish league.
I am very pleased to welcome Rabbi to Hibernian FC, said coach Marink Reedijk. Rabbi brings pace, directness and a goal threat out wide, and he will also enrich our dressing room with his positive personality.
Schalke 04 once hoped for that same pace, directness and goal threat from Matondo. In January 2019, the Royal Blues paid nine million euros to Manchester City for the then 18-year-old, who secured a buy-back clause worth 50 million.
Rabbi Matondo caused a scandal on a plane
Back then, Matondo was seen as one of the biggest talents at the English top club, but coach Pep Guardiola did not give him a chance. "We actually believe in our young players," Guardiola said at the time of his departure. "If they bring the necessary patience, they can stay. But if they are impatient, then they simply have to go." Matondo made his Schalke debut a few days after arriving, but failed to provide the hoped-for spark and ended the rest of the season without a goal contribution despite a handful of further appearances.
Headlines followed only after the season ended, and for the wrong reasons. On a flight from Faro in Portugal to Bristol, Matondo is said, according to matching reports, to have refused to fasten his seatbelt during take-off. He then allegedly insulted a stewardess by calling her a "slut". After landing, three police officers led him away for questioning. Matondo himself denied the allegations.
Rabbi Matondo had himself photographed in a BVB shirt
The following season, he at least managed two goals in 21 appearances for Schalke. But many remembered more the photo of him training in a Jadon Sancho shirt of arch-rivals Borussia Dortmund. Unsurprisingly, the picture drew angry reactions from Schalke fans. "I made it more than clear to Rabbi Matondo on the phone what I think of such a thoughtless action," said the then sporting director Jochen Schneider.
Later, Matondo explained that he had "not put on the shirt because of Dortmund, but because of Jadon Sancho. Jadon is one of my best friends, we stay in regular contact." Sancho and Matondo once played together in City's youth ranks, and by moving to Schalke, Matondo wanted to follow the path of his friend, who had been so successful at BVB.
Rabbi Matondo played only 30 minutes for Brann Bergen
During the first half of the 2020/21 season, Matondo made three more appearances for Schalke. Then came two loans, to Stoke City in England and Cercle Brugge in Belgium, before he moved to Rangers in Glasgow in the summer of 2022 for three million euros, one year before his contract expired. Persistent injury problems also stopped him from becoming more than a squad player at the traditional Scottish club, and he later returned to Germany on loan with Hannover 96.
Earlier this year, Rangers let him leave on a free transfer. An unsuccessful spell in Bergen followed, bringing only 30 minutes of playing time, then a period without a club, and now the move to Hibs.
